AM I THE ONLY ONE?

AM I THE ONLY ONE?

So, last week I was so excited to start The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin. I was a big fan of his first two books in the series. And here is the problem- the first book in the series is called The Passage and was released in 2010. The second book in the series is called The Twelve and released in 2012. This last book, the final book of the series, The City of Mirrors was released last year.
Six years has passed since I read the first book of this series and I truly don't remember a damn thing! I know the first book gets the ball rolling, introducing key characters to the series but other than that...zip! I know the second book is crucial to understanding the third book and I remember... nothing!
I limped my way through The City of Mirrors but felt lost and confused when a character reverted back to a memory or a relationship with other past characters in the last two books. Needless to say I can't review this book fairly  without going back and re-reading the first and second books of this series. I'm going to do something I have NEVER done before and reread these books. Listen, I know lots of people like to go back and re-read their favorite classics, Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables, blah,blah, blah. I'm not on of them. Once I've read a book, good or bad, I'm done. In my opinion life is too short and there are too many good books out there to waste time re-reading something you have already been there, done that with. Luckily for me The Passage is on sale right now on Amazon for $1.99.
So, the question is--Has this ever happened to you?
Too many years have passed between books in series that you have to go back and reread? George R.R. Martin doesn't count because it's been 20 YEARS...and counting between the first book of his series, Game of Thrones and whenever he comes out with The Winds of Winter. That's the exception to the exception. I plan to probably revisit those books in my twilight years after he has wrapped everything up....hopefully before he dies. Luckily the Kindle will still be around so my  old, fragile bones will  be able to lift his door stop of a book close to my failing eyes. On the bright side it will give me something to do in the retirement home in between bingo games.

PODCAST ALERT-My Favorite Murder

MY FAVORITE MURDER

One of my favorite things to do when I'm cooking dinner, cleaning, or painting(no, I'm not an artist, I just have a sick addiction to painting rooms in my house and then deciding I hate the color and repainting.) Anyways, that is a whole other post for another day or something I need to talk to my therapist about.
So, let me tell you one of my favorite podcasts to listen to while I do said things above. It's called My Favorite Murder hosted by these two great gals- Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff.
Here's what it's about-
My Favorite Murder is a hit true-crime comedy podcast that came out in early 2016. The show has broken download records and sparked an enthusiastic, interactive fan base who have come out in droves to support this podcast on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, merchandise sales, and attend sold shows during their nation wide tour going on right now.
It's a top 10 regular on iTunes' comedy podcast chart and has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, The Atlantic, Nylon, and Rolling Stone magazines.
Trying to explain the appeal of this podcast to friends, family, and strangers is a bit tricky. How can you make murder funny? I find myself stumbling over the words to describe why I love these ladies and the stories they tell. The topics and the stories they chose to tell are interesting, sometimes horrific, but always have a dash of humor mixed in.
The Daily Dot says"It doesn't have the distanced view that many true-crime shows do. It revels in it's curiosity, outrage, disgust, humor and imperfection. They are always very sensitive about the victims of the murder or the crime committed while telling the story, but have a great way of calling out the person who committed the crime or murder. While the Huffington Post sums up the podcast in these words. "There's no denying that 'comedy podcast' and 'murder' is an odd coupling, but their popularity suggests the show taps into a niche: people who want to indulge in the gruesome realities of the world."
Again, it's hard to explain---either you get it or you don't. But download their podcast on your phone and give the first 2 episodes a try. Either you will love them or decide it's not your cup of tea.
If you decide to pass on this particular podcast but love true crime I have some other ones I'll give a shout out to in a blog post down the road.
Listener Alert- These ladies use a lot of colorful language while telling their stories so don't have your littles running about while you take a listen. No one whats to hear your 3 year old throw the F-Bomb out at story time at the local library.

BOOK REVIEW-Geek Love

GEEK LOVE by Katherine Dunn

Publisher: Vintage

368 Pages

2002

Geek Love is the story of the Binewskis, a carny family whose mater- and paterfamilias set out–with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes–to breed their own exhibit of human oddities. There’s Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious–and dangerous–asset. 

As the Binewskis take their act across the backwaters of the U.S., inspiring fanatical devotion and murderous revulsion; as its members conduct their own Machiavellian version of sibling rivalry, Geek Love throws its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.

My Thoughts: 

Wow! Where do I start?

This book came highly recommended from a co-worker. And you know there's no better source of a good read than from a friend. About 50 pages in I was thinking"What the actual hell??!!"

BUT Geek Love is like the car crash you see on the freeway--you want to look away but you can't! So I continued to turn page after page and read about this horrific and fascinating book. The Binewskis are the most dysfunctional family you will ever have the pleasure and curse of knowing. Art and Lily, owner of the Binewski's Fabulon, a traveling carnival, decide to breed their own freak show by creating genetically altered children through the use of experimental drugs.
The story is told from Olympia point of view. She is one of Art and Lily's children that happens to be a hunch back albino dwarf who "worked" at the carnival growing up.

 Her tale of growing up in the Binewskis family and carnival life is bizarre, dark, and sometimes humorous.
After finishing Geek Love I had to do some research on the author--Where in the world did this story come from? Katherine Dunn says the idea came to her after her young son refused to join her on a walk through a famous rose garden in Portland. Inspired by the diverse blooms she wondered, what if she could have bred a more obedient boy? She dismissed the thought and decided that flaws were more fascinating than perfection and it would be more interesting to go in an entirely different direction. She starting thinking about freaks and mutations who were not considered desirable and Geek Love was born. In 1989 Geek Love became a National Book Finalist and went on to sell hundreds of thousands of copies.
I can promise you that if you decide to give Geek Love a chance you will be left with an memorable, incredibly imaginative story that will have you thinking about the Binewski family and it's characters for years to come.

BOOK REVIEW-Truly, Madly, Guilty

TRULY, MADLY, GUILTY by Liane Moriarty

Publisher:Macmillan

432 Pages
2016

Six responsible adults. Three cute kids. One small dog. It’s just a normal weekend. What could possibly go wrong?

In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty turns her unique, razor-sharp eye towards three seemingly happy families.

Sam and Clementine have a wonderful, albeit, busy life: they have two little girls, Sam has just started a new dream job and Clementine, a cellist, is busy preparing for the audition of a lifetime. If there’s anything they can count on, it’s each other.

Clementine and Erika are each other’s oldest friends. A single look between them can convey an entire conversation. But theirs is a complicated relationship, so when Erika mentions a last minute invitation to a barbecue with her neighbors, Tiffany and Vid, Clementine and Sam don’t hesitate. Having Tiffany and Vid’s larger than life personalities there will be a welcome respite.

Two months later, it won’t stop raining, and Clementine and Sam can’t stop asking themselves the question: What if we hadn’t gone?

In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on the foundations our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don’t say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm.

My thoughts on Truly,Madly,Guilty:

I have read several of New York Times best selling author, Liane Moriarty's books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I liked The Husband's Secret, Big Little Lies(Now an HBO Limited series starring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley), What Alice Forgot, The Hypnotist's Love Story, and Three Wishes. Each of them had a great plot and a story that ran along smoothly. Her stories have made me turn page after page well into the night. BUT sadly this book missed the mark for me. NO SPOILER ALERTS REVEALED: There is such a BIG build up to the events the the night in question that when all is finally revealed 3/4 into the book the incident feels like a balloon that lost it's helium and becomes a flaccid, limp, sad thing. The whole book feels like a giant tease with chapters skipping around to the three families involved in present time(recovering)and then back to the the day of the BBQ where so much of nothing is revealed until you are mostly done with the book. ARRRGGGG!  On Amazon there is a clear division of how people feel about this book, the ratings are clearly divided up between 5, 4, and 3 stars. Lots of reviews with readers writing about  mixed and frustrated emotions, so I'm glad I'm not alone in my feelings toward Truly,Madly, Guilty.

I have no doubt I will read a book by Liane Moriarty again, I have really liked her others. But if you are trying to decide whether or not to buy this on your kindle or check it out at your local library--save your money and check it out.

FREEDOM TO HOP GIVEAWAY

Welcome to the

FREEDOM TO READ

 GIVEAWAY HOP!

This hop starts on July 2nd and ends on  July 15th

This hop is hosted by BookHounds

A Big THANK YOU to all of the bloggers that participate in these hops!   There are many blogs participating in this hop, so be sure to stop by each and enter to win!  Each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.

Please check the blogs with a ~ mark before the names first.  Those blogs have been verified that the giveaway is up and working.